Catalan Way 2014 | |
---|---|
Rally held in Barcelona forming a "V" | |
Date | 11 September 2014 |
Location | Catalonia |
Goals | Independence of Catalonia |
Methods | Political rally, street protest |
The Catalan Way 2014 (Catalan : Via Catalana 2014), or "V", was a large gathering in Barcelona on 11 September 2014, the National Day of Catalonia, in support of the Catalan self-determination referendum of 2014 and of Catalan independence from Spain. It was organized by "Now is the Time", [1] a unified campaign organised and funded by the Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) and the Òmnium Cultural. Two massive senyeres (Catalan flags), created by demonstrators wearing red and yellow T-shirts forming a giant human mosaic, filled the Diagonal and the Gran Via, and came together at the vortex in Plaça de les Glòries, forming a giant "V", symbolizing "victory", "vote" and "will" (Catalan : victòria, votar, voluntat). [2] The "V" was 11 kilometers in length and about 200,000 square meters in area. [3] Estimates of the attendance varied: though the Spanish government's office in Catalonia put it at about 500,000, Barcelona's Municipal Police put it at 1.8 million. [3] An independent statistical analysis by the Autonomous University of Barcelona calculated that 900,000 people attended. [4] The organisers, the grassroots Assemblea Nacional Catalana, said it was one of the biggest peaceful mobilizations in European history. [5]
The demonstration followed similar protests in 2010, 2012 and 2013 (the original Catalan Way). It was followed by the Free Way to the Catalan Republic (2015) and Go ahead, Catalan Republic (2016).
Òmnium Cultural is a Catalan association based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was originally created in the 1960s to promote the Catalan language and spread Catalan culture.
The Assemblea Nacional Catalana is an organization that seeks the political independence of Catalonia from Spain. It also promotes the independence of other Catalan-speaking regions, which are collectively known as the Catalan Countries.
The 2012 Catalan independence demonstration was a protest march which occurred in central Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, on 11 September 2012 during the National Day of Catalonia. The protestors demanded the independence of Catalonia and its establishment as a sovereign state under the slogan "Catalonia, new state in Europe". It was organized by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and headed together with the Association of Municipalities for Independence as the final and the most prominent of a series of events known as "March towards Independence" which began on 30 June 2012 in Lleida.
The Catalan Way, also known as the Catalan Way towards Independence, was a 400-kilometre (250 mi) human chain in support of Catalan independence from Spain. It was organized by the Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) and supported by 14 nongovernmental groups. It took place in Catalonia on 11 September 2013, which is the National Day of Catalonia, known as Diada. Catalonia's Department of the Interior estimated the number of participants at about 1.6 million. The human chain followed the ancient Via Augusta, from Le Perthus up to Alcanar. According to Carme Forcadell, president of the ANC at that time, it was "a symbol of the unity of Catalan people to achieve national sovereignty".
The Concert for Freedom was a concert held at Camp Nou football stadium in Barcelona on 29 June 2013, organized by Òmnium Cultural in conjunction with other civil society organization such as the Assemblea Nacional Catalana and the Plataforma Pro Seleccions Esportives Catalanes with the goal using the universal language of music to demand the right of Catalonia and other nations of the world to freely and democratically decide their future. Some 90,000 people were in attendance. Between the 2012 Catalan independence demonstration and the Catalan Way, the concert was another social mobilization event in favor of independence. More than 400 artists performed, among them Lluís Llach, Sopa de Cabra, Miquel Gil, Pastora, Joana Serrat, Jofre Bardagí, Jordi Batiste, Lídia Pujol, Maria del Mar Bonet, Marina Rossell, Mercedes Peón, Nena Venetsanou, Orfeó Català, Paco Ibáñez, Pascal Comelade, Pau Alabajos, Pep Sala, Peret, Projecte Mut, Sabor de Gràcia, Ferran Piqué, Joan Enric Barceló & Eduard Costa from Els Amics de les Arts, and Brams. The artistic directors were Gerard Quintana and Lluís Danés, who was in charge of set design. The stage featured various steps symbolizing the path toward freedom.
Maria Carme Forcadell i Lluís is a Spanish politician from Catalonia. She is the former President of the Parliament of Catalonia, as well as a Catalan high school teacher, known for her Catalan independence activism.
Jordi Sànchez i Picanyol is a Spanish political activist from Catalonia, who was president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) between May 2015 and November 2017.
The Free Way to the Catalan Republic, or Free Way, was a large gathering in Barcelona on 11 September 2015, the National Day of Catalonia, in support of Catalan independence. It was organized by "Now is the Time", a joint campaign organized and funded by the Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) and Òmnium Cultural. The number of participants was estimated at about 1.8 million according to Barcelona's Municipal Police.
Gabriel Rufián Romero is a Spanish politician. In the Spanish general election of 2015 he led the Republican Left of Catalonia, a pro-independence electoral party. He is also a member of the secretariat of the Assemblea Nacional Catalana and a member of Súmate, two other pro-independence groups.
Go ahead, Catalan Republic or We are ready was a coordinated demonstration that consisted of five large celebrations in Barcelona, Berga, Lleida, Salt and Tarragona on 11 September 2016, the National Day of Catalonia, in support of Catalan independence. It was organized by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Omnium Cultural, the main civil society organisations behind the massive pro-independence demonstrations held since 2012.
Catalonia Yes is a Catalan independence political platform founded in 2011 bringing together people from civil society and various public figures in favour of independence for Catalonia.
The Operation Anubis was a police operation in Catalonia Spain, initiated on 20 September 2017 by the Civil Guard following orders of the trial court number 13 of Barcelona, directed by judge Juan Antonio Ramírez Sunyer. Its aim was to dismantle the framework of the Catalan independence referendum of 1 October 2017, that was suspended on 6 September 2017 by the Constitutional Court of Spain as breaching the 1978 Constitution. Different headquarters of the Generalitat de Catalunya were searched and 14 people were arrested, including high ranking administrative staff, and company CEO's involved in the preparation of the referendum. Simultaneously, several printing and media companies were searched looking for ballot papers and boxes. More than 140 websites were shut down by the Spanish justice and police.
The Catalan Republic was a state proclaimed in 1931 by Francesc Macià as the "Catalan Republic within the Iberian Federation", in the context of the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. It was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, and superseded on 17 April by the Generalitat de Catalunya, the autonomous Catalan government.
Societat Civil Catalana is a Catalan civic society organization. According to its manifesto, they position themselves as a civil and political platform against the secession of Catalonia from Spain and to promote a stronger relationships between Catalonia and the rest of Spain. Most of SCC initiatives aimed to oppose and counter the Catalan independence movement. The organization was officially launched on 23 April 2014.
Joaquim Torra i Pla, known as Quim Torra, is a Spanish lawyer and journalist from Catalonia. Torra is a member of the Parliament of Catalonia and is the current president of the Government of Catalonia.
Ernest Maragall i Mira is a Spanish economist, politician, member of the Parliament of Catalonia and former Minister of Foreign Action, Institutional Relations and Transparency of Catalonia. He was previously Minister of Education, a member of the European Parliament and a member of Barcelona City Council (BCC).
Alba Vergés i Bosch is a Spanish Catalan economist, politician and the current Minister of Health of Catalonia.
Let's build the Catalan Republic! was a gathering in Barcelona on 11 September 2018, the National Day of Catalonia, in support of Catalan independence and the Catalan Republic passed by the Parliament of Catalonia on 27 October 2017. It was organized by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), the main civil society organisations behind the massive pro-independence demonstrations held since 2012.
Alfred Bosch i Pascual is a Catalan academic, journalist, author, politician and the current Minister of Foreign Action, Institutional Relations and Transparency of Catalonia. He was previously a member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain and a member of Barcelona City Council.
Elisenda Paluzie i Hernández is a Spanish economist, politician, and professor. Since March 24, 2018, she is president of the Assemblea Nacional Catalana, a Catalan independence organization. She has served as Professor of Economics at the University of Barcelona (UB) since 2001, is the director of the Centro de Análisis Económico y de las Políticas Sociales (CAEPS) of the UB, which is integrated into the Research Institute of the Barcelona Economic Analysis Team (BEAT).